It's almost eight months ago since I left Conroe and all the people I loved there behind. Eight months. It's almost as long as my entire exchange year. It feels like a lifetime ago, but at the same time, still close, so close that I can remember so many details.

Not a day has passed by since I left without me thinking about someone over there, or remembering the memories. The people that are still there, that are going on with their lives without me present, even though I was a natural part of their everyday for ten months. But at the same time, I'm going on with my life too. I've made friends that I love here in Sweden too, even though I thought that I would never get as wonderful people around me here as I had over there.

Reflecting on it now, I can't help but wonder if I made some sort of inpact on Conroe and the people there. If they will remember me for a long time forward, just as I will remember them. I wonder if they think about me and miss me; or if I'm just the girl who was there for a year and went away again. I know I think about them all alot and miss them. They all played an important role in my development as an individual. The experiences they were a part of helped me find who I am and who I want to be. And just a thing like that makes me certain that I will remember all of them forever.

I'm incredibly thankful that I've stayed in touch with a lot of them, and that I'm going to be able to hang out with all of my old friends whenever I go back. It was the one thing that motivated me for a long time when I got home to Sweden; The fact that I would go back in a year. I didn't back then, but now I understand that things can't be exactly the same. I've developed during this year back home, and obviously, so have them on the other side of the world. I can take part of what they've done during this year through social media, but I can't be a part of it. And that stung a lot in the beginning. But now I'm just thankful, because I imagine we can create new memories and have a lot to talk about after being apart for a year.

It's still won't be the same. It never will be, and it never should be. And no matter how much I keep on missing it, I will never get it all back. An exchange year can be the perfect life. It isn't an everyday style of living. It's one year filled with fun memories, careless actions and chances to do whatever you want. For me, it truly almost was the perfect life. But perfect isn't forever, so neither, could my year last forever.